The present invention relates to an assembly for the receipt of cut flowers, fern, greenery or the like where the items received in the assembly are maintained in a proper environment for sustained display and/or storage. This application relates to my previously filed application, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,487.
At all levels of the floral business, whether grower, wholesale, retail or the like, quantities of cut flowers and other greenery are routinely maintained in-house for various and sundry purposes. Notably, at each level in the floral industry, it is necessary for the business to maintain significant quantities of cut flowers and greenery in inventory for either routine work in the preparation of floral arrangements or as inventory for resale to others. As is obvious, such floral items once cut from its living plant, thereafter will enjoy a limited useful life before wilting, or other deterioration to a point where the cut items cease to retain their freshness and beauty adequate for their intended purpose. In order to prolong the lifespan and preserve the beauty of these cut floral items, the industry has, in general, maintained the items in a body of water and further, when possible, maintained the items in a refrigerated environment.
Further, at the grower level, the wholesale level, or the retail level, the maintenance of cut floral items in water and in a refrigerated environment coupled with transport of the items, replenishment of the water, and the like has been fraught with problems. Particularly, current handling techniques have historically involved the placement of a quantity of the cut floral materials into a bucket or other like container coupled with the manual removal of the items from the container when desired to pour out the water at periodic intervals and thereafter replenish the supply of water and replace the items into the container. Furthermore, such handling has also involved the manual transport of the containers into and out of a refrigerated environment. Not only do the above exercises involve excessive labor due to the handling of multiple containers, but also repeated handling of the fragile cut floral items often leads to inadvertent damage to the product. Moreover, such handling techniques and placement of the cut floral items into a container with water are especially critical with certain floral items where a long stem is involved, and where the item is subject to bend or droop about the stem when not properly supported.
Since floral items are generally fairly expensive and are very fragile and subject to bruising, breakage of leaves or petals or the like, it is highly important that a system be available for use which will minimize the handling of the individual cut items as well as minimize the time involved in replacement of water, transport of the items into and out of the refrigerated environment and the like. Such improvements in the industry will not only lead to improved economy at the growing, wholesale and retail levels, but also will enhance the sustained beauty of the floral items and prolong the expected useful life of same. The present invention affords such a system, in that, there is provided for the use in a single assembly, or assembly module, a significantly increased capacity for receipt of cut floral items, an ability to maintain the items in the container at a desired or necessary disposition or attitude, an ability to replenish water in the container in a rapid and efficient manner, and an ability to move the cut items into and out of a refrigerated environment with little effort. Moreover, not only does the assembly of the present invention preclude the necessity of repeated handling of the cut floral items until they are intended to be sold or used in preparation of a floral arrangement, the assembly of the present invention likewise affords in addition to the above, an improved and effective display for floral items at a retail level.
Historically, as noted above, containers for storage and display of cut flowers and other greenery have taken the form of buckets or like containers. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 1,764,543 to Barton discloses a flower table in which a plurality of stepped or terraced sections are provided having a series of circular openings along each shaft for receipt of potted plants, and with the steps being adjustable as to height to properly position the potted plants at a window for appropriate sunlight. Each of the stepped sections having the series of circular openings therein, has a trough located therebeneath to receive excess water as it drips from the pots with the troughs being elevationally adjustable at one end to permit drainage of water therefrom into an appropriate waste water receptacle. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 147,849 to Leslie shows a circular stand having stepped individual pot receiving elements therearound with appropriate drain connections between the pot receiving sections and a central column for discharge of the water. Likewise, a fountain is located at the top of the central column for water spray onto the potted plants. U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,559 to Carlyon, Jr. discloses a self-irrigating display rack for potted plants in which a series of circular shelves are located along a central column.
Further examples of relevant prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 780,627 to Umbehend which discloses a cylindrical container having a plurality of tubular members for holding individual flowers in an upright position for viewing and U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,719 to Schackett et al. which discloses a large container on which individual frames having apertures defined therethrough for the receipt of flower pots are positioned. U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,776 to Kooy is directed to a cooler for cut flowers where the flowers can be displayed while being cooled. By such invention cooling air is continually passed about an underside of individual flower boxes located in the display case while avoiding excessive cool air contact with the cut flowers themselves. French patent 62,922 discloses a hand pumping arrangement for providing water to flower pots as well as a tiered drainage system for receiving the drainage from the plants.
Also of general interest are U.S. Design Pat. No. 188,990 to Lowe which disloses a flower pot shelf unit, U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,326 to Atkisson et al. which discloses a mesh support for holding individual cut flowers in an upright position, U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,571 to Scrivens which discloses a watering system for growing plants, U.S. Pat. No. 1,558,357 to Henley which discloses a flower box for planted flowers, U.S. Pat. No. 1,153,028 to Chalk which discloses a tiered stand for the display of potted plants or individual cut flowers. German DE 31 49 102 to Grunicke is similarly directed to a tiered display support frame.
Still further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,365,840 to Cooper, 2,940,218 to Carter; 3,686,792 to Barfield; and 4,334,386 to Burcombe et al. each disclose arrangements, some of which are tiered, for hydroponic type growing systems or systems for supplying liquids to potted plants. It is submitted that the present invention is patentably distinct over the above-noted known prior art, and that the above patents neither individually nor collectively teach nor suggest same.